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AVE MARIA IN THE VIRGIN MARY B
DUX Feb 2002
CD
$21.99

Lloyd: Invocation to the Virgin Mary for a cappella chorus S

Lyrita

Sheet Music

$9.99 Jul 19, 2024

Conceived on a grand scale, Lloyd's late choral works build fruitfully upon his previous experience in other genres. They share with his operas an innate lyricism, natural affinity with the human voice and feeling for the long line, while their structural balance, intensive working out of motifs and rich orchestral palette owes a significant debt to his prolific symphonic output.

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Lloyd: Invocation to the Virgin Mary for a cappella chorus S
Lyrita Jul 2024
Sheet Music
$9.99

CHARPENTIER: Music for the Virgin Mary
Signum Classics Jan 2006
CD
$19.99

Mother of Light: Armenian Hymns & Chants in Praise of Mary / Bayrakdarian

Delos

$18.99 Oct 14, 2016

Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian is the originator for this project which was her fulfilment of the promise she made a couple of years ago in prayers offered to save her mother’s life when she committed to produce a collection of hymns and chants written in praise of the Virgin Mary. She has brought together 18 of these that amazingly cover a period ranging from a composer who died only 30 years ago back to one who died well over 1500 years ago! Of course it is almost impossible (I say almost because I don’t know) to be sure that anything written that long ago would sound as it is interpreted here but suffice it to say that those about which we can be more certain (13th-17th century) are not so very different in their sound world to those written much nearer our time. They are all connected by a sound that is intoxicatingly ethereal. The occasional use of a cello or percussion accompaniment works very well but it is the unaccompanied voices that are so wonderfully evocative as well as incredibly restful, just the thing to effect a detox for the mind after a stressful day. Isabel Bayrakdarian is the key to this for her voice is an extraordinary instrument that is crystal clear with pinsharp diction and I say this despite the fact that I know no Armenian once I located the place in the text, which is not just given in English but is transliterated into Latin characters, I could follow the words so clearly an Armenian speaker would have no difficulty in doing so. Her accompanying singers, whether the vocal group Coro Vox Aeterna, her two sisters or the other two sopranos, give great support while the cellist, Ani Aznavoorian, also of Armenian origin, has a wonderfully rich tone which so perfectly complements the voices and her brother provides percussive support using instruments that are traditionally used in Armenian church services adds yet another layer to the proceedings when called for.

It is an interesting fact that hymns and chants that in several instances go back so long into what can truly be called ‘ancient history’ are the mainstays of today’s Armenian Orthodox church worship for I certainly know of no such parallels in other strands of Christianity and it shows the strength of undiluted tradition. I wouldn’t try to pick out any of these mesmerising items out for singular praise as they are all equally magnificent in their affecting power.

Anyone who enjoys the experience of the voice as instrument cannot fail to find this issue a fascinating and captivating listen. If you find the other-worldly sounds of Russian or Bulgarian Orthodox Church choirs with their rich basses addictive then the correspondingly high voices of these Armenian voices will weave their magic just as powerfully translating into a heady brew that will keep you spellbound.

– MusicWeb International (Steve Arloff)

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Mother of Light: Armenian Hymns & Chants in Praise of Mary / Bayrakdarian
Delos Oct 2016
CD
$18.99

Tavener: SWR2 New Talent Introduces Lionel Martin / Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra

SWR

$20.99 Apr 14, 2023

SWR2 New Talent is a promotion and support programme of the broadcasting station SWR aiming to help exceptional young talents to launch their career.

Tavener’s cello concerto “The Protecting Veil” is a deeply spiritual instrumental piece that puts the life and work of the Virgin Mary to music. It was premiered at the BBC Proms in 1989 with cellist Steven Isserlis, for whom Tavener had written the concerto. At the time Tavener wrote the composition he was 45 years old and had already converted to Orthodox Christian faith whose mysticism appealed to him. In “The Protecting Veil” he refers to a special type of Orthodox icon: to Maria Pokrov, the Mother of God with the protecting veil.

In John Tavener’s numerous vocal works mythical and spiritual topics play a major role. Since the 1980s the British composer has been mainly focussing on sacred choral music. One of the most important works of this creative period is “Svyati”, a composition for 12 voices and cello from 1995. The choir sings in ecclesiastical Slavonic*, a traditional liturgical language that is partly still used in the Orthodox Church.

Since 2021 the cellist Lionel Martin has been the “SWR2 New Talent”. For three years the broadcasting corporation Sudwestrundfunk is promoting him through concerts, studio productions and media presence. In 2017 Anne-Sophie Mutter accepted Lionel Martin for her foundation of young, exceptional musicians. Since then he has repeatedly performed with her on stage and has been on tour together with her and her scholarship holders throughout Europe, North and South America – there he played in big concert halls, but also for social projects in churches and old people’s homes.

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Tavener: SWR2 New Talent Introduces Lionel Martin / Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
SWR Apr 2023
CD
$20.99

Aichinger: Virginalia, 1607 / Concentus Vocum

Tactus

$10.99 ~~$21.99~~ Save 50% Nov 03, 2023

The experience of Gregor Aichinger (Regensburg, 1564/65 – Augsburg, 20/21 January 1628) in Italy, which took place during two distinct periods, made it possible for the Bavarian musician to be an important connection between the music that was practiced at that time in Italy and the musical culture on the other side of the Alps (Aichinger was one of the very first German musicians to publish compositions with basso continuo, a practice with which he had become acquainted precisely during his visits to Italy). The Virginalia consist of twenty five-part pieces. The introductory one, Virgo, Dei mater pura, is followed by the pieces of the Joyful Mysteries (from the second to the sixth), then – from the seventh to the eleventh – by those of the Sorrowful Mysteries, and subsequently – from the twelfth to the sixteenth – by those of the Glorious Mysteries. In the last four pieces there is a contemplation of the Virgin Mary, by now projected in a light and a dimension that are beyond the world, as the mediator between mankind and God. The collection dedicated to Maria is performed by the Ensemble Concentus Vocum directed by Michelangelo Gabbrielli, already protagonist in some important world premiere recording of the Armonia Ecclesiastica 1653 by Sisto Reina [TC621801].

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Aichinger: Virginalia, 1607 / Concentus Vocum
Tactus Nov 2023
CD
~~$21.99~~ $10.99

Puccini: Suor Angelica / Galli, Orchestra E Coro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino [Blu-Ray]

Dynamic

Blu-Ray

$26.99 Sep 18, 2020

Suor Angelica is one of the three one-act operas that comprise Puccini’s Il Trittico. Of the three, it’s the most lyrical and tragic; it also features an all female cast. Set in a 17th-century convent near Florence, it tells the tragic tale of a noblewoman who is forced to become a nun to repent the sin of having had a child outside wedlock, thus causing a huge scandal in her social circle. The baby is immediately taken from her, and Angelica is left with no news about him, nor her family, for seven long years. Although seemingly adjusted to the convent’s daily routine – she has become an expert in herbal remedies – Angelica is desperate to hear from her family, but when an aunt finally visits her, Suor Angelica is coldly informed that her son died from an incurable disease two years earlier. The aria Senza mamma (Without Mama) is the tragic peak of both this moment and the whole opera. In her distress, Angelica resolves there is only one option left to be reunited with her child: she proceeds to prepare some poison and drink it. On the verge of death she asks for forgiveness, which the Virgin Mary grants her, appearing with a young boy by her side. “Anna Maria Chiuri, who plays the character of the Princess, has a beautifully projected and even contralto voice, a monumental fraseggio which well suits the character’s elusiveness… Valerio Galli directs the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with great self assurance. The performance is excellent, the sound is homogeneous, round and sparkling with energy. Suor Angelica’s intimate religious sense flows naturally into the colors and shades of the finale.”

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Puccini: Suor Angelica / Galli, Orchestra E Coro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino [Blu-Ray]
Dynamic Sep 2020
Blu-Ray
$26.99

Humperdinck: Music for the Stage / Salvi, Malmo Opera Orchestra

Naxos

$19.99 Nov 27, 2020

Engelbert Humperdinck won a worldwide reputation through his application of Wagnerian techniques to folk music in Hänsel und Gretel. But he wrote far more widely for the stage than is acknowledged, and this selection focuses on long overlooked works that reveal Humperdinck’s flair for romance, comedy and innovation. These include music for one of the first full-color silent films, the spectacular Das Wunder (1912); the passionate, ethereal small cantata Die Wallfahrt nach Kevlaar; the rich antique flavor of Lysistrata; as well as his dance-saturated and serenely beautiful incidental music for Der Kaufmann von Venedig. Dario Salvi is a Scottish-Italian conductor, musicologist and researcher who specializes in the restoration and performance of rare works. His passion is the rediscovery and performance of long-forgotten masterpieces by the likes of Suppé, Meyerbeer, Rumshinsky, Genée, Auber, and many others. He is collaborating with Naxos on recording a series on Romantic ballets, including works by Minkus, Pugni, Adam and others, and a series on Auber’s overtures and orchestral music. Two other important projects include recording the last three missing operas by Johann Strauss II and three never before recorded operatic works by Giacomo Meyerbeer.

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REVIEWS:

These incidental scores are a real find. They show that Humperdinck was far more than a one work wonder and is surely overlooked among the large number of turn-of-the-century composers who were able to turn out such highly melodic scores. The one real rarity here is the suite arranged from Das Wunder – the first full-colour silent film, made in 1912.

– Lark Reviews

Think of Humperdinck and Hänsel und Gretel immediately springs to mind, and if you dig a little bit deeper, Königskinder. Of course, he was far more prolific than that, and clearly had a rare talent for melody, vocal setting and orchestration. He is regarded as being a disciple of Wagner rather than a composer who forged a unique path, although I was interested to discover that he was the first composer to use Sprechgesang - a vocal technique halfway between singing and speaking, in Königskinder.

This most welcome, well-filled CD gives us a broad cross-section of his music for the stage. It starts with the prelude to Act II of the unknown opera Die Heirat wider Willen (The Forced Marriage), which opens with huge Wagnerian chords leading to more complex passages which quieten to harp chords then return to the opening. It is highly effective, and is probably the most instantly impactive music on the disc.

It is followed by his incidental music to the play Der Kaufman von Venedig (The Merchant of Venice). There are seven sections, the longest being the accompaniment to Act V Scene 1, “The moon shines bright: in such a night as this, When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees”.

At over ten minutes, it is as long as the previous six episodes put together, and, perhaps unsurprisingly given the word painting to inspire him, Humperdinck produces some magical orchestral effects, employing the harp lavishly to illustrate the moon (with a gentle horn accompanying the harp); the same combination is used at the outset, as the lovers begin their conversation. It is the sort of luscious orchestral sound which lulls one into floating along with it. There are vocal parts in the earlier sections, nicely sung by the tenor, soprano and contralto. The next longest scene at just under four minutes is the masked procession. Once again, the composer uses the harp quite prominently when the music quietens. As with all such incidental music, very short sections (three of the seven are each under one minute) can lead to a rather bitty impression, but Humperdinck manages to keep one’s interest - for example, the Casket Song (soprano, chorus, orchestra and harp again) is a 2:45 highlight.

Das Wunder (The Wonder), is music he composed for a British silent film from 1912 made in colour(!). It was presented at the Royal Opera House in 1912, the film being projected on to a screen with the full orchestra and chorus accompanying. The suite here begins with a prelude for solo organ, leading into a Procession and Children’s Dance, which begins with grand pageantry then quietens down for a rustic dance. The longest sections are the last two, the March of the Army and the Death Motif and the Christmas Scene and Finale. The first is quite memorable with flutes, piccolos, fifes and drums, leading to portentous brass chords for the Death Motif. The Christmas music and finale form a much more serene, ten-minute affair, with the orchestra producing a chiming effect for Christmas bells without orchestral bells being employed. I don’t think that the whole piece shows Humperdinck at his most memorable, but it is enjoyable, nonetheless.

Die Wallfahrt nach Kevlaar – Ballade (The Pilgrimage to Kevlaar) is a setting of three poems by Heinrich Heine, and Humperdinck uses soprano, tenor and chorus with orchestra. The songs tell of a journey made by a mother and her sick son to the shrine of The Virgin Mary at Kevelaer. The first song – At the Window stands the Mother - is a 3’30” narrative between soprano and tenor with the chorus commenting leading to an impressive, very Wagnerian crescendo, followed by the soloists combining with the chorus in a long, sustained note at the end. The second song, at just over seven minutes, depicts the visit to the shrine with a processional quality which slowly gathers strength. The tenor sings some very passionate music, somewhat reminiscent of Tanhauser’s Rome Narration, in which the boy and his mother are described. The last section at 4’33” – The Sick Son and the Mother – describes the death of the child, and, as one might expect, is duly solemn. The horn accompanies the soprano in dramatic declamation as the boy dies, and the chorus provide a swelling epilogue, with the soprano and harp softening things in a brief threnody at the very end. The work is set in a most sympathetic manner by Humperdinck.

The CD ends with his incidental music to Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. The composer tries to capture the antique nature of the play through his instrumentation, but even so we can hear Tristan during an extended cor-anglais solo. It is an attractive short suite.

As I mentioned at the outset, I have found this CD to be a welcome issue, and the last three items are all world premiere recordings. The booklet is informative about the composer and the music, and although texts to the sung parts are not provided, they are available from the Naxos website.

The performances are excellent in every respect, as we have come to expect from Malmö, and the recording is well balanced and natural.

– MusicWeb International (Jim Westhead)

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Humperdinck: Music for the Stage / Salvi, Malmo Opera Orchestra
Naxos Nov 2020
CD
$19.99